Yarn Bombers

Like any dutiful books blogger, I have created an RSS feed for myself with carefully vetted book-related sites. But sometimes, when the “official” book news of the day just isn’t doing it, I venture into the wilds of the Internet. It’s frightening, but the rewards can be great. Today, for instance, I stumbled across this rare and delightful specimen, on the Denver Examiner:

Here are the questions that came to mind when I first saw this: 1) What is yarn bombing? 2) Who are the Ladies Fancyworks Society of Denver? 3) How does one appear “incognito” at their own book-signing?

The book, which is due out in a couple weeks, is published by Arsenal Pulp Press, and, thankfully, they have a full explanation on their Web site: “ ‘Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti’ is the definitive guidebook to covert textile street art.” What yarn bombers do, it seems, is “create stunning works of art out of yarn, then ‘donate’ them to public spaces as part of a covert plan for world yarn domination.” Its reach is global. Mandy Moore, a co-author of the book, with Leanne Prain, has a blog called Yarnageddon.

Cool! Now I get why the Denver Fancyworks ladies have to go incognito to the signing. They’re yarn criminals! A little research into their organization reveals that they are linked to a craft store in downtown Denver called Fancy Tiger Crafts, which sells its goods on Etsy. Lest you think that yarn bombing is the only hardcore activity the artisans engage in, check out these in-your-face “Craft Pride” buttons—Say it loud and proud, ladies, “I Made This!”